Government Begins Identifying Victims of Josei Coal Mine Disaster... Four Months After Korea-Japan Summit Agreement
Announcement of Project Launch Comes Just One Day Before Japanese Prime Minister's Visit to South Korea
The government has begun work to identify the Korean victims who were forcibly mobilized and perished in the Josei Coal Mine flooding accident in Japan. This comes about four months after the agreement reached by the leaders of South Korea and Japan in January this year.
Josei Coal Mine entrance plaza in Ube City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. Photo by Yonhap News Agency
View original imageOn the 18th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced, "We plan to begin DNA analysis for identification of the remains excavated from the Josei Coal Mine in Ube City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan." The remains were excavated in two phases, in August last year and February this year. The ministry added, "We will continue to cooperate closely with the Japanese side to ensure that DNA analysis and identification are carried out promptly."
South Korea and Japan agreed to proceed with DNA analysis of the Josei Coal Mine flooding victims on January 13 this year. The agreement was reached during a summit between the two countries' leaders. However, there was little progress for four months, and the announcement of the project only came on the 19th, just one day before Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's visit to South Korea.
Hot Picks Today
As Samsung Falters, Chinese DRAM Surges: CXMT Returns to Profit in Just One Year
- "Most Americans Didn't Want This"... Americans Lose 60 Trillion Won to Soaring Fuel Costs
- Man in His 30s Dies After Assaulting Father and Falling from Yongin Apartment
- Samsung Union Member Sparks Controversy With Telegram Post: "Let's Push KOSPI Down to 5,000"
- "Why Make Things Like This?" Foreign Media Highlights Bizarre Phenomenon Spreading in Korea
The Josei Coal Mine flooding accident occurred on February 3, 1942, during the Japanese colonial period, when a tunnel collapse at the Josei undersea coal mine allowed seawater to flood in, resulting in the deaths of 136 Korean workers who were forcibly mobilized and 47 Japanese workers. The victims' remains were left underwater for over 80 years. In 1991, a Japanese civic group called "Association for Inscribing the Josei Coal Mine Flooding Accident in History" was formed and continued underwater exploration with its own funding. As a result, four remains were discovered for the first time in August last year, and an additional remain was found in February this year.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
